"Oh, right. This is Alicia."
Finn introduced the Elven girl traveling with them.
She had long, golden hair reaching her waist. Her golden eyes matched her hair, and she exuded a gentle, warm aura.
Her attire resembled a huntress mixed with a shepherdess.
The hem of her skirt extended past her knees, giving her a modest appearance. Even so, her graceful curves couldn't be hidden.
Her primary weapon was a rapier, but she also carried a bow and a quiver of arrows slung across her back.
It seemed she wasn't only a swordswoman but also skilled in archery.
Furthermore, Elves were gifted with Magic, making their potential far greater than other Genkai races.
'She might even know Magic.'
'Hmm, another promising client.'
...
The group set out into the Dungeon.
With Finn, Riveria, and the others holding back, the six-person squad steamrolled through the Upper Floors without releasing their Zanpakuto, reaching the Middle Floors in record time.
"That was fast."
Riveria calculated the time it took the squad to clear the Upper Floors and couldn't help but feel surprised.
But her real astonishment was just beginning.
The monsters of the Middle Floors proved incapable of posing any threat to the six-person squad.
"Four Level 3s and two Level 2s... What a powerful team. Their coordination is flawless," Finn remarked.
"Indeed," Riveria agreed, a smile gracing her lips. "Watching these new sprouts grow so strong makes me feel old."
Hearing this, Ais spoke up. "Well, you are old, aren't you? You too, Riveria. You just look young. Your real age and personality are already that of an old hag—Gah!"
Before Ais could finish, Riveria bonk her on the head.
"Ow!"
"Shut up and reflect on what you've done!"
Seeing Riveria's anger, Alicia tried to smooth things over.
"Lady Riveria isn't old at all! You're not even a hundred yet, so how could you be old?"
The Elf Princess's eye twitched.
She said, enunciating each word, "Alicia... please, just stop talking."
'Eh?'
The young Elf had no idea what she'd done wrong.
Still, she sensed she'd angered Riveria, so she clamped her mouth shut and fell silent.
"Even so, this isn't enough to take down a Floor Boss," Finn analyzed.
"Indeed," Riveria agreed. "Those kids should know that too."
"Which means... they have an ace up their sleeve?" Finn rubbed his thumb.
Even now, he still hadn't seen the shape-shifting sword abilities Riveria mentioned.
...
17th Floor, Deepest Area
This was the final region before the passage leading to the 18th Floor.
It was a vast chamber, large enough for a massive battle.
Pure white crystals covered the ground, walls, and ceiling, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.
"The Wall of Sighs... How many times have we been here?" Rayleigh asked.
Alise answered instantly, "I've forgotten."
Ryuu thought for a moment before replying, "With you, Rayleigh... maybe the fifth time?"
Kaguya cut in, "It's six times, useless elf."
"You... you said it again! You called me useless again!"
"Well, you're the one who got it wrong."
"Waaah!!!"
Watching their argument, Lyra quipped, "You have a good memory when it come to Rayleigh, Kaguya."
The Far Eastern Princess blushed at the comment as her accent grew flustered. "I-I just happened to remember, that's all!"
Rayleigh stepped forward, and the girls followed close behind.
On their previous trips through here, they timed their passage to coincide with the Floor Boss's respawn cooldown.
Most Adventurers did the same since it was safer.
Floor Bosses possessed monstrous strength, typically far exceeding ordinary monsters on the same floor.
The 17th Floor's Floor Boss, the Giant Goliath, had a power equivalent to a Level 4.
Most Adventurers exploring the Middle Floors were only Level 2.
If they encountered a Floor Boss, their chances of survival were low.
Powerful Familias like Loki's and Freya's periodically cleared Floor Bosses under contract with the Guild to ensure safe passage for other Adventurers.
Crack!
As Rayleigh and his party stepped into the alert zone, a massive fissure split open the Wall of Sighs.
A colossal figure began to stir within the wall.
BOOM!
A massive foot shattered the wall and stomped onto the ground!
With each of the giant's movements, the Wall of Sighs cracked and shattered, as if the entire floor were rocked by an earthquake.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!"
The giant threw its head back and roared, the powerful sound waves shattering the crystalline shell encasing its body!
"The Floor Boss, Goliath."
Ais's eyes gleamed with excitement as she stared at the massive figure, eager to charge forward.
But Riveria held her back.
"Don't be rash, Ais. We're not the main characters this time."
...
The Labyrinth Monarch was a powerful monster, unique within the entire Dungeon and active only on specific floors.
It was also known as a Floor Boss.
The Dungeon absorbed fallen monsters to regenerate them, and the Floor Boss was no exception.
However, its regeneration cycle was far longer than ordinary monsters, ranging from weeks to months.
Its strength was estimated to be two levels higher than the monsters on its floor.
Since the 17th Floor monsters were Level 2, the theory held that Goliath would be Level 4.
Although its level was comparable to an Adventurer's, the Floor Boss's immense size, special attacks, and use of Magic made it far more dangerous.
Standing at its feet, Rayleigh, Ardi, Alise, and the others seemed so... insignificant.
The giant's roar was deafening and unleashed a violent storm, sending sand and stones flying as the wind whipped their clothes.
"Ryuu, aim for its eyes! Your priority is to obstruct its vision," Rayleigh commanded.
As the leader of the party, he had prepared for this, analyzing the Goliath and formulating a battle plan.
Goliath was a giant that walked upright, its height unreachable by ordinary means.
But Haineko had no problem with it.
"Everyone else, focus your attacks on Goliath's feet! Cripple its ability to stand! Once it's down, target the vitals on its upper body!" Rayleigh ordered.
"Understood!" came five synchronized replies.
"Spread out!"
The moment Rayleigh gave the order, the girls scattered, forming a semi-circle around Goliath.
"Rankle the Seas and the Skies! Nejibana!"
Ardi spin her longsword, and her released Zanpakuto transformed into a massive trident.
After over five months of practice, her skill with polearms had improved, her movements became fluid and graceful.
"Hah!"
With a low cry, she swung the trident, unleashing a spray of water from its three blades.
The water swept across and a massive, seven-meter-long slash tore through Goliath's skin but failed to sever its Achilles tendon.
Ardi wasn't disappointed as she marveled at the Goliath, "So tough... Just what you'd expect from a Floor Boss."
"ROOOOAR!!!!"
The giant let out a pained scream. It lowered its head, searching for the source of the attack.
Just then, a cloud of fine dust blew into the giant's face!
Seizing the opening, Ryuu used Haineko to manipulate the dust, firing sharp, glass-like sand grains into the giant's eyeball.
The giant raised its hands to cover its eyes.
Its massive body staggered, stomping its feet on the ground to regain its balance.
"Nice one, Ryuu!" Alise laughed, navigating the tremors caused by Goliath's movements.
She circled around to Goliath's back.
"Burn, Engetsu!"
The red-haired girl released her Zanpakuto, and crimson flames erupted from the blade.
"Great Flame Flower!"
BOOM!
A massive fireball, over five meters in diameter, shot at Goliath's calf.
The moment the fireball made contact, Alise's lips curled into a smirk as she pointed her blade forward.
"Agaris Alvesynth!"
Engetsu itself possessed the ability to detonate flames.
Alise's own Magic, Agaris Alvesynth, was also a detonation spell. When combined, their power increased far beyond a simple sum of their parts!
BANG!
The fireball exploded.
The unrestrained flames swelled, and the force of the blast forced Goliath down onto one knee.
Kaguya gripped her two swords.
"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Tear, Heavenly Wind Laugh and Heavenly Demon Sneer! Katen Kyōkotsu!"
After their release, the long and short swords transformed into a pair of large, curved blades—black with white edges.
"Kageoni."
Kaguya flashed a smile and slashed her twin blades into Goliath's shadow.
The next moment, Goliath's abdomen was pierced through, spewing blood.
"Kageoni... In the game, the one whose shadow is stepped on loses. I had a hell of a time with this during Jinzen. Now, Floor Boss-sama, it's your turn to feel my pain."
The Far Eastern Princess slashed at the shadow with her twin blades.
Wounds appeared on Goliath's body. In moments, over a dozen gashes opened on its body as blood streaming freely from it.
Watching this, Rayleigh thought to himself, 'Kaguya is suited for fighting an enemy like Goliath.'
Goliath's shadow was so massive it was impossible for it to evade Kaguya's slashes.
To counter Kageoni, one needed extreme speed—something Goliath lacked.
In contrast, Takaoni would be much harder to use.
Katen Kyōkotsu's Takaoni ability granted victory to the one standing higher. Attacks from above would be amplified, overwhelming the opponent.
"What's that?!"
Alicia stared in shock at the battle unfolding before her.
'Is this really a battle between Adventurers?'
"What are those weapons?!"
Ais was much the same, commenting while watching the fight.
"So strong," she murmured.
The Pallum Hero rubbed his thumb, turning to Nine Hell beside him.
"Riveria, is this...?"
"Yes, that's right. Those are the 'Zanpakuto's'," the Elf Princess replied, her own surprise evident. "But their effects and performance are different from what I've seen before."
Last time, she had refrained from asking for details out of respect for the unwritten rules between Adventurers.
Back then, she'd assumed they were some kind of Magic Swords.
"Water, fire, and... is that wind?"
"Their power is similar to a Magic Swords, but these weapons don't seem to be consumables. And the weapon used by Kaguya... its ability is bizarre. I can't make sense of it either."
Finn's eyes gleamed as he absorbed every detail of the fight.
Then, he noticed it.
'That boy... is he finally drawing his sword?'
Rayleigh drew the Zanpakuto from his waist—its hilt were white and deep purple—and held it before him.
"Your first battle, and it's against a Floor Boss no less. What a perfect stage, wouldn't you say?"
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
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